Decorative needled fabric



Oct. 11, 1938.

M. R. GREISER 2,132,530

DECORATIVE NEEDLED FABRIC Filed Dec. 15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Ma VIN 1?. G/iE/SEE.

BY QM ZZZQ,

ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 11, I938. M. R. GREISER 2,132,530 I DECORATIVE NEEDLED FABRIC FiledDec. 13, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JIWL Ill! ill ll IIII INVENTOE. 1751 W1?. Gay/sac.

. MCI/M ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 11, 1938. v M. R. GREISER 2,132,530

DECORATIVE NEEDLED FABRIC Filed Dec. 15, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 11

INVENTOR. Mum 1E 6 1767562.

' BY MFM ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 11,1938

PATENT OFFICE nEcoaA'nvE NEEDLED memo Melvin R. eraser, Cincinnati,Ohio, assignor to Carthage Mills Incorporated,- acorporation of OhioCarthage, Ohio,

Application December 13, 1935, Serial No. 54,295

6 Claims.

It is known in the art to produce a pile-like fabric by superposing on aburlap or similar material a mass of loose, fibrous stuff, such, forexample, as cattle hair, and then punching the ,y cattle hair throughthe woven fabric so as to cause it to be caught thereby, afterwardshearing the fabric so as to give it a. smooth, pile-like surface. v

Such a material finds a number of uses in the m arts. It has beenemployed, for example, as a floor covering, where, by reason of the factthat an attractive design appearance is highly desirable, it has beenthe practice'to print this-mate,-. rial with dyes by an imbibitionprocess, as set 15 forth in 'my copending application, Ser. No.-674,723,fi1ed June 7th, 1933. So far as I know,

' there have been no suggestions in the art looking toward themanufacture of fabrics of this class with a design appearance producedin the 'actual gr manufacturethereof. It will be quite clear that anumber. of advantages would be inherent in a product of this class madefrom pre-dyed fibers arranged in a design as a part of or during "thecourse of manufacture of the'fabric itself.

The fundamental object of my invention is the provision of novelmanufacturing meansand a method whereby to produce this result, as wellas the novel article embodying the result;

Other objects of my invention will be set forth hereinafter or will beapparent to one-skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, inwhich I have described certain exemplary embodiments of my invention.For the sake of clearness reference ,is-now mad to the drawings,wherein- Figure 1 is'a-plan view of an arrangement for the. manufactureof my novel fabric.

Fig. 2is a longitudinal elevation thereof. Fig. 3 shows an exemplaryform of needle with which the process is carried on.

Fig.4 is an exaggerated and somewhat diagrammatic sectional view of thefabric.

Fig. 5 is a perspective wiew of a segregating or template means. v 1 vFig. 6 is a plan view of another form of apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a segregating or template means for usein the process, and with the machine depicted in Fig. 6. e

' Figs.8 and 8a show some pre-cut bats of fibrous material.

Fig. 9'shows a way of handlingsuch as are illustrated in Fig. 8. l Fig.10 is a plan view of another form of device, as also adapted to the usesof my invention.

Fig. 11 is aperspective view with a portion broken away showing my novelneedle-board.

Briefly, in the practice of my invention, I manufacture needled fabrics,employing a foundation web or webs and pro-dyed fibrous material of thecolors to be used in the intended design; and I form the design fabricby neediing into selective areas, pre-dyed fibers of the said differentcolors in a controlledway, so that the ultimate fabric will have thedesign desired.

In the ordinarymanufacture of such fibers without design, the foundationweb or webs are laid upon a tablejsuch a the .table I of Fig. 2. At aselected position on this table, there are means indicated at 3,underlying the web or webs and serving as a needling support. Thissupport will be somewhat resilient preferably,

and will be penetrable by the needles. Above the web there is positioneda needle-board 4 in Fig. 2, provided with needles 5 at closely spacedintervals. shaft 6, and mean (not 'shown) are provided to reciprocatethe shafts, and therefore the board and its needles, vertically. A padof fibrousmaterial is laid over the foundation web or webs,

in order to punch the fibers through the founda- +on..web. I a

The needle, as shown in Fig. 3, is a rod-shaped device, having a pointedend 1, and usually a turned-over portion 8 at the opposite end thereof,which is employed in preventing dislodgement of the needle from theneedle-board. Usually the needle-board is made in upper and lower parts,the needles extending through holes in the lower part, and their heads=8 engaging between the parts. The needles are provided with barbs 9 at"intervals throughout their length. After the needling operation has beencarried to the extent of punching sumo ent of the fibers through the"foundation web or ,webs, theresultantfabric may be roughed as bymeansof a wire brush, and the The board is fastened to one or more fabricsheared or clipped so as to give it a smooth,

pile-like surface and open any upwardly extendingloops therein, a"at IIIin Figure 2, leaving a fabric such as that shown in Figure 4. Here, thefoundation webs (there being two in this easel-are shown respectively atH and II, the one superposed on the other. The fibers II have beenneedled through these foundation webs as shown, and are caught therein.It is usual to coat the rear portion of such a fabric with a grippingmaterial such as rubber latex, or rubber solution, so as to preventdislodgement of the 2 and the needle-board reciprocated as describedfibers. A rubber latex is shown at H, more or less penetrating thefoundation web or webs.

Hitherto such fabrics have been made without color or only in a singlecolor. In the practice of my invention, I needle pre-dyed fibers intothe foundation web or webs in predetermined areas forming an ultimatedesign. I have illustrated in my drawings several ways of doing this. InFig. l, for example, I have shown overlying the foundation web or webs15, a template or form device Hi. This device is more clearlyillustrated in Fig. 5 in an exemplary embodiment comprisin end pieces I!and side pieces I8. Between these there are a plurality of partitionmembers l9 dividing the template into a plurality of compartments. Inthe material shown as being manufactured in Fig. l, the design is asimple tilelike design. It is obvious, however, that the variouspartition members I9 can be arranged in any way desired, and inaccordance with any grouping of design elements which is contemplated.If the various walls and partition members of the template are made thinenough their presence will not impede the operation of the needles,since the template may be so placed that the various structural elementsof the template lie between the needles of the needle-board. In Fig. 1,after the template has been positioned on the webs as shown, the variouspartitions of the templates are filled with loose masses of fibrousmaterials Dre-dyed to the desired colors, and these masses are arrangedin accordance with the requirements of the particular design beingproduced. Masses of fibrous material of diiferent colors are indicatedat 20, 2| and 22, for example. The foundation webs and the template arenext advanced so as to underlie the needle-board 4, and when the properposition has been determined, the needling operation is carried out asusual, with the template in position. Thus certain areas of the fabricbecome needled with fibrous material of one color and adjacent areaswith fibrous material of another color, forming a design such as theexemplary one shown at 23. At the completion of the needling operationat this stage, the needle-board is raised, the same or another templateagain positioned as shown at IS in Fig. 1, filled with the pre-dyedfibers, and advanced to the desired position under the needle-board. Ifthe walls and partitions of the template are thin enough, the fabricbecomes substantially needled all over, and there are no observablebreaks between needled areas of various colors.

The function of the template is, of course, to segregate the areas offibers of different colors, and to facilitate the arranging of these inac cordance with the design requirements. Ordinarily, as indicated, thetemplate is left in position during the needling operation to enforcethe proper segregation. Under some circumstances, however, as where themasses of fibers placed in the template are not too loose, or where someblending of adjacent color areas is required, the template, having beenused to position the color areas, may be removed prior to the needlingto provide areas for a selected color or colors. The needle-board 4a foruse with this template will have its needles arranged in such a way asto fall in the spaces 26 and 21; but the needles will be omitted overthe area of the member 25. Thus when the template 24 is moved under theneedle-board 4a, fibrous material of a selected color or colors isneedled into selected areas of the base or foundation webs, giving,after shearing, a configuration such as shown at 28. Portions of thefabric, of course, remain un-needled. Next a second template 29 isplaced on the foundation web or webs. This second template may be areversed counter-part of the first template 24, and it has been so shownin Fig. 6. The interspaces of this template are filled with the desiredcolor or colors of fibrous material, and the template and webs areadvanced so as to lie beneath a second needle-board 4b, the needles ofwhich are so arranged as to conform to the divisional spaces of. thetemplate 29. Thus after shearing, a completed design, such as shown at30 in Fig. 6, is produced.

With the means and in the operation shown in Fig. 6, it will be clear tothe skilled worker that as many of the cooperating templates andneedleboards may be employed in a linear operation as may be desired.Thus exceedingly complex designs may be formed in this way.

Still another method of operation is indicated in Fig. 9, in accordancewith which it is my practice to take fibrous material which has beenpredyed, form it into more or less coherent bats, and then cut fromthese bats design elements such as those shown at 3| and 32 in Fig. 8.These precut bat pieces are then arranged in accordance with designrequirements on the foundation web or webs as shown at 33 in Fig. 9. Theweb then, by intermittent stages, or continuously, as desired, is passedbeneath a needle board 4c, which has needles over its entire surface.Since the dyed fibrous material has been pre-arranged on the foundationweb or webs, the result of the normal needling will be to produce apolychromatic ,design, especially after shearing,as shown at 34 in Fig.9. I

Still another method of operation, and one which is preferred under manycircumstances, involves the use of needle-boards, withneedles thereinarranged in predetermined designs, the arrangement of needles in each01' the needle boards complementing the arrangement in the other boards.Ihave shown in Fig. 10 the foundation web or webs 15, being covered asat 35 with fibrous material of a given color. Next the web so coated ispassed beneath a needle-board 35, having its needles arranged in adesired design as at 31. The needling operation is conducted in theordinary way; but because the needles are arranged in a designconfiguration on the needleboard, the fibrous material is needled intothe base or foundation webs only at certain intervals, such, forexample, as the area indicated at 38. Elsewhere the fibrous material isfree; and the bat may be removed, as at 39. Also, (and this ispreferable in many instances) the needled portions of the fabric maybesheared at this point if desired; but the shearing may be carried ones afinal operation. Next the fabric, including the previously needledportions, if desired, may be covered with another layer of fibrousmaterial of a different color as at 40, and then passed beneath aneedle-board ll, the needles of which are arranged in a complementary.design 42. Thus the second color of fibrous material is needled into theinterspaces between the previously needled areas, and after shearing themay follow each needling step as a preliminary to any further impositionof fibrous material on the web or further needling operation.

In this procedure, I prefer to use .as many of the needle-boards asthere are complementary parts of the desired design in different colors.It-

is possible, however, to use but one needle-board, passing the material.repeatedly therebeneath when covered with fibrous material of differentcolors. In this procedure I prefer to have the needles 5 of Fig. 3mounted so as to reciprocate in the needle-board. Then during theneedling operation, 'the board is maintained stationary, while atemplate having solid areas in the required design configuration isreciprocated above the board, so as to depress and reciprocate onlyselected portions of the total number of needles.

For each needling operation with a different,

color, a different needle operating template may be employed.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from thespirit thereof, and therefore I do not desire my invention to be limitedotherwise than as set forth in the appended claims, where I haveexpressed what I believe to be the novel'and inventive aspects ,of theteachings set forth herein.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim as. new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A process of making decorative needled fabrics which comprisespositioning on a foundation web, a confining means providingcompartments in design relationship, selectively filling saidcompartments with fibrous material of different colors and needling saidflbrous.-mate-.

The clearing rial into said web while said fibrous material ismaintained by said positioning means. 2. A process of making decorativeneedled fabrics, which comprises forming bats of fibrous material ofdifferent colors, cutting said bats into pieces in accordance with therequirements of a predetermined design, arranging said out pieces insaid predetermined design on a foundation 'web, and needling saidfibrous material intosaid foundation web while so positioned.

3. A process of making decorative needled fabrics, which comprisespositioning fibrous material of one color on a web and needling saidfibrous material into said web at selected areas only in accordance withthe requirements of a predetermined design, removing any excess of saidfibrous material, again covering said web with fibrous material of adifferent color and selectively needling said fibrous material into saidweb .in areas corresponding to the requirements of said predetermineddesign.

'4. A process of. producing decorative needled fabrics, which comprisescovering a foundation web with fibrous material, needling said fibrousmaterial into said web at interspaced areas corresponding to therequirements of the predetermined design, removing excess of saidfibrous material, shearing the needled areas, and afterward repeatingsaid steps for the production of other elements of said predetermineddesign.

5. A process of-producing decorative needled fabrics, which I comprisesneedling pre-dyed fibers into a foundation web at interspaced areas inaccordance with the requirements of a design, afterward advancing saidweb to another station and needling contrasting fibrous materials intocontiguous areas of said foundation web in accordance with therequirements of said design.

6. A needle-board for the production of decorative needled fabrics,comprising a supporting.

structure and needles arranged therein, said .needles beingsubstantially uniformly spaced in certain areas in accordance with therequirements of a predetermined design, there being ad- 'jacent areas ofsaid needle-board free of said needles.

MELVIN R. GREISER,

